Characterization and Impact of Low Frequency Wind Turbine Noise Emissions
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 2013 Characterization and Impact of Low Frequency Wind Turbine Noise Emissions James Finch University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Finch, James, "Characterization and Impact of Low Frequency Wind Turbine Noise Emissions" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4722. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/4722 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208. Characterization and Impact of Low Frequency Wind Turbine Noise Emissions by James Finch A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2012 © 2012 James Finch Characterization and Impact of Low Frequency Wind Turbine Noise Emissions by James Finch APPROVED BY: ______________________________________________ Dr. Rupp Carriveau Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering ______________________________________________ Dr. Robert Gaspar Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering ______________________________________________ Dr. Colin Novak, Advisor Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering ______________________________________________ Dr. Bruce Minaker, Chair of Defense Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering December, 17, 2012 DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. iii ABSTRACT Wind turbine noise is a complex issue that requires due diligence to minimize any potential impact on quality of life. This study enhances existing knowledge of wind turbine noise through focused analyses of downwind sound propagation, directionality, and the low frequency component of the noise. Measurements were conducted at four wind speeds according to a design of experiments at incremental distances and angles. Wind turbine noise is shown to be highly directional, while downwind sound propagation is spherical with limited ground absorption. The noise is found to have a significant low frequency component that is largely independent of wind speed over the 20-250 Hz range. The generated low frequency noise is shown to be audible above 40 Hz at the MOE setback distance of 550 m. Infrasound levels exhibit higher dependency on wind speed, but remain below audible levels up to 15 m/s. iv DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my mother, Pamela Finch, and father, Douglas Finch, for their unwavering love, support and encouragement throughout my undergraduate and Master’s studies and always. I will continue to strive for more and always make them proud. I would further like to dedicate this to my grandfather, Roy Ellis, who instilled a passion for mechanical engineering from a young age with his RCAF experience and our remote control car races in Sussex, New Brunswick. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Colin Novak, University of Windsor. I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue Master’s studies and diversify my experience into NVH and the green energy sector. His relationship with Bruel & Kjaer made this project possible. Dr. Rupp Carriveau, University of Windsor Finding an industrial partner for this kind of research is no easy task. Without Dr. Carriveau opening the door to work with his research group, the testing may not have been possible. As the research progresses, the two groups stand to learn a lot together. Robert Trepanier, Bruel & Kjaer His training and support with PULSE Reflex came at the perfect time and enabled the far more efficient processing of what was at that point a seemingly endless wealth of data. Nikolina Samardzic, University of Windsor Nikolina offered support and guidance in every aspect of the degree from assistance with software to advice on some of the intricacies of completing a graduate degree. Jeremy Charbonneau, University of Windsor Jeremy was a key part of the research as he volunteered himself and his truck to carry equipment to the site and around the field. His assistance was instrumental to the work, as were his feedback and knowledge of acoustics in ensuring that I was on the right path. Frank Angione, University of Windsor His support and patience with carrying equipment around the field on multiple test days was a key to the success of the research. Joe Giglio, University of Windsor Joe was instrumental on the final and longest test day as he was patient and willing to help every step of the way through ground level and array measurements. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY .............................................................................. iii ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x ABBREVIATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE.............................................................. xiii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND THEORY 2.1 Sound and Noise .............................................................................7 2.2 Noise Measurement and Filters ......................................................9 III. LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1 Infrasound .....................................................................................12 3.2 G-weighting ..................................................................................14 3.3 Low Frequency Noise? .................................................................15 3.4 C-weighting ..................................................................................16 3.5 Mechanisms of Wind Turbine Noise Generation .........................17 3.6 Existing Field Measurements of Wind Turbine Noise .................18 3.7 Potential Health Effects Associated With Wind Turbine Noise ...26 3.8 Acoustic Effects ............................................................................28 3.9 Non-Acoustic Effects ....................................................................32 3.10 Social and Personal Effects ........................................................33 3.11 Regulatory Standards for Wind Turbine Noise ..........................34 3.12 Opportunities to Expand on Existing Work ................................40 IV. EXPERIMENTAL METHODOLOGY 4.1 Measurement Standards ................................................................43 4.2 Design of Experiment ...................................................................47 4.3 Equipment and Instrumentation ....................................................49 vii 4.4 Experimental Procedure ................................................................54 V. ANALYSIS OF DATA AND OBSERVATIONS 5.1 Atmospheric Conditions ...............................................................58 5.2 Analytical Methods .......................................................................62 5.3 Characteristics of the Signal .........................................................64 5.4 Background Noise ........................................................................69 5.5 Measurement Statistics .................................................................72